With Dubai Ride coming up, shops see spike in bicycle sales

One online store says all its stocks have been sold, while another reports a 50 per cent rise in purchases

SM Ayaz Zakir

Published: Fri 4 Nov 2022, 7:13 PM

Last updated: Fri 4 Nov 2022, 9:01 PM

Over the last 20 days, shop owner Saad Nilawar has noticed that he has been selling nearly 50 per cent more bicycles than he used to. Then, he remembered — the Dubai Fitness Challenge has begun and the Dubai Ride is coming up.

People must have started taking their fitness goals to heart again, bike sellers said.

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Aladin Akrami, who runs an online store, said all of his stocks were sold and he had to place orders for more.

"I did not expect that a lot of people will be ordering bicycles online. Due to our delivery time, we received many orders, and I had to request my wholeseller to provide me with more stocks,” said Akarmi.

“Unfortunately, my wholesaler ran out of stock, too, but we managed to get stocks from elsewhere."

Nilawar — owner of YupMe, which sells bicycles and electric scooters — said that besides the fitness challenge, the cool weather may also be a reason behind the sudden interest.

“We cannot just say people buy these two-wheelers for the Dubai Ride. As the winter weather is now setting in, people want to go outdoors, and one activity is cycling," he said.

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“I believe it’s also because of winter shopping. Last month, we sold 34 compared to our average of 20."

As the Dubai Ride approaches, many residents have also been enquiring about bikes' technical specifications. "They wanted to pick one that would suit them best."

For the third year, the mega event is set to turn the Sheikh Zayed Road into a giant cycling track on November 6.

The largest community cycling event in the emirate will offer families, recreational cyclists, and enthusiasts the opportunity to ride past Dubai’s iconic landmarks, including the Museum of the Future, Dubai Water Canal, and Burj Khalifa.

Participants looking for fun or fitness can choose between two routes: the 12km Sheikh Zayed Road route or the 4km Downtown Family route through Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.

Last year, 33,000 cyclists took part in Dubai Ride and came together as one community to demonstrate their commitment to the annual city-wide challenge, and their 30x30 goals as they embraced an active lifestyle.

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